A chart is a technique of displaying data using pictures
and graphical representations instead of numbers or simple words. It works
by drawing figures that would represent numbers, adding colors and shapes to
the information presented. Good created and formatted charts can help people
and businesses make decisions based on the impact that the images provide.

While data analysis as we have seen so far was
performed on records displayed on datasheets or forms, data analysis on
charts is done using graphics that present pictures. In addition to the
pictures, you can add words, also called labels to indicate what the
pictures represent.

Because a chart is used to present data in a graphical
format, before creating a chart, you should plan it. That is, you should
prepare it. There are two pieces of information you should have before
starting: The numbers that you want to represent and the type of chart you
want to use.

Creating a Chart

The information used to create a chart can come from a
table. In some other cases, you can use a query as queries do a good job
of isolating records or counting them. Before creating a chart, you should
prepare it so it can be easily recognizable. Data used on a chart can be
made of natural numbers or percentage values. You can also present a
series of repeating words and let the chart engine count the occurrences
of such words before using them as numbers.

To start a chart, display a new form or report in
Design View. In the Controls section of the Ribbon, click the Chart button
.
Position the mouse on the form or report. The mouse cursor would appear
with small bars:

You can then click the form or report. This starts the
Chart Wizard and you can continue with it.

There are different types of charts, ranging from
columns to pies, from lines to surfaces, etc, as we will review them. To
present its information more efficiently, a chart is made of different
sections. The main area allows users to view the graphical display of
data. A legend explains the meaning of various colors on the chart. A
title indicates what the chart is used for.

Practical
Learning: Creating a Chart

Start Microsoft Access

From the resources that accompany our lessons, open the Altair
Realtors2 database

On the Ribbon, click Create

In the Forms section, click Form Design

On the Ribbon, in the Controls section, click the Chart button

Click the form

In the first page of the Chart Wizard dialog box, make sure the
Tables radio button is selected and, in the list, click Home Sales

Click Next

In the second page of the Chart Wizard, in the Available Fields
list, double-click State to include it in the Fields For Chart list

Click Next

In the third page of the Chart Wizard, accept the Column Chart in
the 1st column - 1st row and click Next

To preview the chart, click the Preview Chart button

Click Close and click Next

Set the Title to Sales Per State

Click Finish

To save the form, click the Save button

Set the name to Sales Per State

To preview the chart, display the form in Form View

The Characteristics of a Chart

A Chart and its Container

A chart cannot reside on its own: it needs a container
such as a form or a report. This also implies that the chart can only fit
inside the size allocated by its host. Based on this, if the database is
configured to display in Overlapped Windows, and if you want the chart to
be taller or wider than the size it currently has, you must first display
the form or the report that is hosting it in Design View, and then enlarge
the host. Once the parent object has enough room, you can enlarge the
chart as you see fit. If you are creating the chart on a report and if the
chart needs room, you can enlarge the report, then enlarge the chart and
set the page setup to Landscape.

Practical
Learning: Resizing a Chart

Display the form in Design View

Widen the form to 6.1

Heighten the Detail section to 4.1

Enlarge the chart to 6 and heighten it to 4

Save the form

The Sections of a Chart

To present its information, a chart is made of various
sections:

Most or every one of these aspects can be hidden,
displayed, or changed. To perform any action on these parts, after
displaying the form or report that holds the chart in Design View, you use
Microsoft Graph. To open it:

You can right-click the chart, position the mouse on Chart Object
and click Open

You can double-click the chart

This would open a separate application:

In Microsoft Graph, you can click or right-click the
desired part.

Editing the values of a Chart

As mentioned already, to create a chart in Microsoft
Access, you use values from a table or a query. When analyzing data using
a chart, you may want to use "What If" scenarios. For example, if you are
viewing the numbers of students per gender in a school and one gender is
predominant, you may want to view the tendency if the number of members
were the same for both members, if the members of the predominant gender
were even more, or if the members of the other gender were predominant.
Therefore, during data analysis, you can change the values used by the
chart. When you have finished using the chart and you close its parent,
the values you used would be lost and the chart would again use only the
values stored in its Row Source.

To change the values used for a chart without changing
the real values, you can open Microsoft Graph. It would present a
spreadsheet:

To change the value, in the Datasheet, click the cell
that holds the value and type the desired one. After editing the value(s),
click the body of the form or report to return to Microsoft Access. The
chart would display with the new values. Remember that if you close the
form or report, the chart would loose those temporary values.

A Chart's Legend

To show what the graphics on a chart represent, a
chart is accompanied by an object on a side called a legend. The legend is
made of at least one small square box of the same color of at least one of
the graphics on the chart:

In this case, the legend contains one item named
Count. Because the legend represents a graphic of the chart, when you make
a change on that graphic, the legend is updated. Still, you can change the
legend if you want.

To make changes to the legend, display the Microsoft
Graph for the chart, right-click the legend and click Format Legend. This
would open the Format Legend dialog box, make the changes, and click OK.

If you do not want to use a legend, you can delete it.
To do this, right-click the legend and click Clear or click the legend and
press Delete.

Practical
Learning: Using a Chart's Legend

Right-click a white area of the chart, position the mouse on Chart
Object and click Open

To indicate what it is used for, a chart can
be equipped with a title. The title is a string that typically
displays in the top section of a chart. In some (rare) cases, a
title can also be positioned on the left or the right sides, above
or below the chart. To move the title, display the form or report
in Design View, click and drag the chart in the desired direction.

To format the title, you can either
double-click it or right-click it and click Format Chart Title. By
default, the chart displays without a border and in bold Calibri
font. You can change or format it using the Format Chart Title
dialog box.

When creating the chart, if you need more room
for it, you can put the chart in the Detail section and remove the
title. Then, for a form, you can create the title as a label in
the Form Header section. For a report, you can add a label in the
Report Header section and give it the same caption you would have
given to the title of the chart.

Practical
Learning: Formatting a Chart's Title

The Sales Per State form should still be opened in Design View.
Right-click an area of the chart -> Chart Object -> Open

Right-click the Sales Per State title and click Format
Chart Title...

In the Format Chart Title dialog box, click the Font property page

In the Font combo box, select Times New Roman

In the Size combo box, select 22

Click the arrow of the Color combo box and select Blue

Click OK

Close Microsoft Graph

Save the form

To preview the chart, switch the form to Form View

Switch it back to Design View

Chart Figures

To represent its numbers, a chart draws some geometric
figures, depending on the type of chart. These figures can be rectangles,
pie slices, triangles, cones, etc. To paint these figures, by default, the
chart engine uses some randomly selected colors from its own list. You can
either change these colors or apply some preset drawings available. You can
also design and use any custom picture to paint the chart's shapes.

To format the geometric figures of a chart, you can
right-click one of them and click Format Data Series.

By default, when you have just created a chart that uses
one column for its values, Microsoft Graph applies the same formatting, such
as the same color, to all of its figures. You can keep this or treat each
figure separately. To separate the figures, after opening Microsoft Graph,
you can right-click a shape and configure it individually. The chart would
change from one series:

To individual figures:

If you create a chart that uses more than one column, a
separate category with its own color would be automatically created. You can
then format each category as you see fit.

Practical
Learning: Formatting a Chart's Shapes

Right-click an area of the chart -> Chart Object -> Open

On the graph, click the most left rectangular box (click once and
release the mouse). Notice that each rectangular box has a small black
square in the middle

Click the left rectangular box again

When it is surrounded by 8 small black squares, right-click it and
click Format Data Point...

In the Format Data Point dialog box, make sure the Patterns property
page is selected.In the Border section, click the Custom radio
button

Right-click the second column from left and click Format Data
Point...

In the Format Data Point dialog box, make sure the Patterns property
page is selected. In the Area section, click Fill Effects...

In the Gradient property page of the Fill Effects dialog box, in the
Colors section, click the One Color radio button

Click the arrow of the Color 1 button and select Brown

In the Color 1 section, drag the thumb of the slider somewhere to
the right but not completely

In the Shading section, click the Vertical radio button

In the Variants section, click the box on 1st column - 2nd row

Click OK

Click OK

Format the other rectangular boxes as you see fit (go crazy; ain't
nobody watchin' you) and return to Microsoft Access

Close Microsoft Graph

Save the form and preview the chart

Print the form

Display the form in Design View

Chart's Labels

By default, when a chart is drawn, it is equipped with
shapes and a separate legend. If you want, you can display the value of each
part and possibly its name next to it. This is done through a label. On a
large chart, a label can also be used in the absence of a legend. In fact,
you can delete a legend and simply make use of a label.

To add the labels to a chart, right-click a box on the
chart and click Format Data Series. Once in the Format Data Series dialog
box, click the Data Labels tab:

In the Label Contains group box, click the desired check
box(es) and click OK.

Practical
Learning: Formatting Labels on a Chart

Right-click an area of the chart -> Chart Object -> Open

Right-click DC and click Format Axis...

In the Color dialog box, click the Font tab

In the Font combo box, select Garamond

Click the Color combo box, select blue

Click OK

Close Microsoft Graph

Right-click an area of the chart -> Chart Object -> Open

Right-click MD and click Format Axis...

In the Patterns tab, in the Major Tick Mark Type section, click the
None radio button.In the Minor Tick Mark Type section, click the
None radio button if necessary

In the Tick Mark Labels section, click the Low radio button

Click OK

Right-click one of the rectangular boxes of the chart and click
Format Data Series

Click the Data Labels tab

Click the Value check box

Click OK

Close Microsoft Graph

Preview the form

Save the form then switch it back to Design View

The Chart's Background

One more way you can enhance the appearance of a chart
is to draw a background wall behind it. The wall is just a graphical object.
By default, the background of a chart is painted in white. You can use a
different color to paint it, a design pattern or a picture to cover it.
Before formatting the chart, open Microsoft Graph. To format its wall,
right-click the chart and click Format Chart Area... This would open the
Format Chart dialog box where you can make the necessary changes.

Practical
Learning: Formatting a Chart's Walls

Right-click an area of the chart -> Chart Object -> Open

Right-click the chart and click Format Chart Area...

In the Format Chart Area dialog box, in the Area section, click Fill
Effects

In the Fill Effects dialog box, click the Pattern tab

In the Pattern section, click the box in 8th column - 5th row

Set the Foreground to White (8th column - 5th row)

Set the Background to Tan (2nd column - 6th row)

Click OK

Click OK

Close Microsoft Graph

Preview the chart

Print the form

Save and close the form

Lesson Summary

MCAS: Using Microsoft Office Access 2007 Topics

P3

Create and modify charts

Exercises

Yugo National Bank

Open the Yugo National Bank1 database

In a form, create a (Column) chart using the State column of the
Customers table to have an idea of the ratio of customers by state. Do
not save the chart

Watts A Loan

Open the Watts A Loan1 database

In a form, create a column chart using the City column of the
customers table to have an idea of the ratio of customers by city. Do
not save the form

US Senate

Open the US Senate1 database

In a form, create a pie chart that represent the distribution of
genders of the senators. Do not save it

In a report, create a column chart that represent the religions of
the senators. Do not save it